


1 hp and your inventory is empty

by bluedew (cobilt)



Series: untold undertales [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Speculation, Undertale Neutral Route, answer me fox answer me, i want to know why frisk is so special, lore probe, lots of death, what happened if they didn't, why didn't any other kids get that kind of reset power
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 09:50:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11056461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cobilt/pseuds/bluedew
Summary: So, let’s just say that each death is “real”. It happens; You die and you stay dead. You don’t get to reload. You don’t get to try again. You don’t progress and the world merely moves on. Do we get to experience that?Of course not.But they do.///a flash fiction about faltering determination.





	1 hp and your inventory is empty

It’s always a terrible feeling, isn’t it? Damn, you’ve only JUST gotten this far - but you died once again; forcing you to stop and restart from your last save file. Perhaps your own finger slipped from the joystick and caused your SOUL to line right up into the oncoming bullets, taking massive damage and breaking in two. Or maybe a friend’s hand would be quivering atop the keyboard, fueled by frustration and annoyance over the repetitive attack that they KNOW is going to happen, that they KNOW how to dodge, that they KNOW they can overcome - but for some reason cannot. And of course, we can’t rule out that one came unprepared, unaware, or simply unconcerned.

But let’s take a moment to really think about what occurs afterwards. We already know what happens when you hit 0. The screen turns black. The animation of your breaking SOUL is shown. The music begins to play. The gravely voice encouraging you to continue and persist in your endeavors rolls in. It’s all the same; programmed, scripted, coded. Some could argue that certain deaths were destined to happen, such as the unfortunate humans before you who succumbed to the same fate, or even the very first child who died at their own -

But I ask: why did none of them get a chance to continue? To simply press a button and load up their save file to try again? Maybe we’ll never truly know, but it does prove to us one thing: the world continues when you die. It doesn’t truly stop; halt in its tracks and willingly turn back the clock for you to make amends. People leave their mark, move forward, and don’t look back.

Simply put: “c'est la vie”.

So, let’s just say that each death is “real”. It happens; You die and you stay dead. You don’t get to reload. You don’t get to try again. You don’t progress and the world merely moves on. Do we get to experience that?  
Of course not.

But they do.

1 HP and your inventory is empty.

Toriel weakened her attacks, seeing your struggles and even taking pity on you. Maybe a stray fireball nicks your SOUL and snips the last thread of life that you had been barely holding onto. The mother fully knows that humans don’t turn to dust, unlike the monsters that she cared for and loved, but she can only stare in horror and shock as your body is set aflame and you burn alive right before her eyes. Now you’re just another count to the number she couldn’t save. Another lost and another regret. But how cruel is that - to take in this child, to give them a room, to feed them, to care for them, only to kill them by your own hand? She wouldn’t be able to forgive herself for such a sadistic act. Maybe she would give up entirely on the caretaker act, let out another outburst and force that role onto someone else again. At least she let the other humans pass through the door, but this? It would be too much, this time.

1 HP and your inventory is-

He’s a smart one, this Papyrus. In a regular scenario, you’d drop down to 1 HP and the battle would cease there. But this isn’t his fight to end anymore, isn’t it? He’d laugh triumphantly and wonder if you succumbed to his powerful attacks (that he worked so very hard on) and simply bent a knee for forgiveness (which he’d surely give you), or possibly friendship (what he’ll certainly accept) over such awesomeness. Maybe he’ll wait a minute or two, and notice you weren’t moving, some red stuff leaking out into the snow and staining the whiteness. What was that, ketchup? Oh, you and Sans would get along fine! He’d prod you with a finger and ask, perhaps ponder if you were alright. Take a hand and try shaking you awake. Now wasn’t the time for naps, anyway - you are in glorious battle! He’d shake harder, start raising his voice, wail why weren’t you waking up, what was wrong, did he do something bad. Bring you into a hug. He didn’t mean it, he tells you, squeezing harder. He didn’t mean it. Please wake up. He didn’t mean it. He didn’t mean it.

1 HP and your inventory-

Her spears were too quick, too fast for your eyes to track, and before you knew it, it pierced through your SOUL. And all the while, Undyne would be grinning and recalling the things the King had once said. After all they only needed YOUR SOUL and everyone would be free! She bested you, too! Finally, after all of these years, the Barrier could be broken and monsters can retake the surface. The captain would watch your SOUL come to view, laughing all the while and rejoicing in her latest kill. She did it, she did it! The last human is dead! And now, all she needed to do was to bring the SOUL to the King and - . Undyne wouldn’t expect to see the other child, the one of her race, to come back to watch and see the whole scene. See that Undyne, their idol, had MURDERED their newest friend. The guard wouldn’t be able to explain it to them in simple terms. She wouldn’t be able to brag about the fact she killed the last human, either, not with the memory of that monster kid’s face now burned in her mind. One of horror, confusion, disgust. Humans were supposed to be evil, right? They had all these cool inventions that they selfishly hid away from monsters and even locked a whole race underground. So why is it that she felt bad to kill one? Why is it that this particular human had made friends with monsters? Why did that human SPARE her?

1 HP and your-

She gave you the wrong order of the colored lasers, and could only watch onscreen as your body was sliced in two and you keeled over, coughing blood and perishing right then and there. Wait, what? Alphys didn’t plan for this. You were supposed to be guided by her, maybe ask for some advice and get some answers from her, see her skill in technical handiness and begin to see how useful she really was. She wasn’t supposed to tell you those colors in that order. You weren’t supposed to die. No. It was just a mistake. It was her fault. No. Now it caused the DEATH of the only human in the underground. No. She screwed up again. No. She should have been the one to die, out of anyone. No. No. No no NO. Not again.

1 HP and-

It came as a shock when you collapsed, actually. After all, you’d been putting on such a great show for the audience! You smiled and struck a pose despite your injuries, fighting with such passion and spirit that hundreds began to tune in and see. It was the highest ratings that anyone had seen in the underground, so Mettaton must have been doing something right. They didn’t expect the human to fall, to crumple onto the ground and not get up after their disco attack, only encouraging the child to get back up and dance for the people. But, for some reason, their words weren’t rousing the child. Come on darling, you were doing so well! Look at these ratings; they’re skyrocketing like never before! Yet, you didn’t move. It took Mettaton quite a while to deduce that you were not, in fact, merely exhausted. And they couldn’t do anything. Not while the cameras were rolling. Not while the show had so many viewers right now. They… They didn’t just KILL a human for thousands to witness, did they? No, oh no. It wasn’t supposed to really be deadly. All of it was for show, see sweetie? But the chance that audience believed what the robot said was slim at this point. And they’d known the human as a murderer. Finally, Mettaton would be famous, but was it worth it?

1 HP-

It didn’t matter how much you pleaded at this point. Asgore wasn’t going to let you spare him. His eyes flashed colors you couldn’t see, leaving you to guess - and by the time his trident swung blue, your body was already in motion, cutting you in half. Your SOUL was reaped. The monsters finally had the seven SOULs they needed to break the Barrier. But at what cost? The so-called leader of monsters had killed another, with regret and refusal to even look them in the eye while in battle. His breath became funny while even thinking about it. When the child begged him to not fight. Ha, how cowardly. He stole away the life of yet another human who was ASKING him to stop. Yet he didn’t. Would he be able to face his people and announce that the human had been slain? Or would he turn back into a fool and hide it away? More importantly: would he be able to bring himself to break the Barrier in the first place?

1-

The inhuman laughter rang in your ears as vines, fire, ‘friendliness pellets’, and bombs attacked all at once, impaling, crushing, scorching, and wrapping around your tiny form until it was no more. Humph. Even with all of that DETERMINATION, you were still just an idiot to think you could take down a god, weren’t you? And now you were dead. And Flowey could take your SOUL. Sure, the lack of his own couldn’t be truly made up by taking yours, but now - he was a GOD. SOUL or not, a god could surely be more powerful anyone with a SOUL. He could destroy worlds, make new ones, manipulate them, play with them, toy with them - all at his leisure. Finally, the true entertainment. And all he needed was to kill you, over, and over, and over, and over and over and over.

…

Heh. Saving the strongest for last was always kind of a waste anyway. But now that THAT was over, what was there to do? Sans didn’t exactly have anyone to go tell the good news that the human had been stopped to, nor exactly the energy to do so. The King was still around, for sure, but it wasn’t like he was doing any actual work to protect his people anyway. Maybe Sans could just wait it out. See what happens. Although, the last time he did that, THIS happened. Welp, it didn’t seem like there were any options. Maybe he could wait in this hall, just in case something comes up, but how large of a chance would anything really happen now? Heh… Looks like things are gonna get bonely around here.

1 HP and your inventory is empty.

You couldn’t think of any conversation topics.

1 HP and your inventory is empty.

You didn’t prepare for a regular bone attack.

1 HP and your inventory is empty.

You tell her you don’t want to fight.

1 HP and your inventory is empty.

You didn’t press the button in time.

1 HP and your inventory is empty.

You strike a pose despite your injuries.

1 HP and your inventory is empty.

You beg him to stop fighting.

1 HP and your inventory is empty.

You called desperately called out for help.

1 HP and your inventory is empty.

You felt your sins crawling on your back.

0 HP.


End file.
